University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Sll FLYING HIGH: Larry De- laGarza, communications sophomore, displays his gym- nastic ability following the basketball game against Rice. photo illustration by Hannes Hacker. ENTERTAINING THE CROWD: Laura Mer- ritt, journalism senior, of Texas Pom dances in a half- time celebration. photo by Hannes Hacker. CHEERING: Andre Jeanfreau, Susan McDaniel, Marc Swank and Bonnie Moffitt encourage UT fans. photo by Carrie Dawson 1 76 Cheerleaders

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PITCHERS UTILIZE TEAMWORK To SUCCEED Because everyone knew that good pitching could beat good hitting, the solid Longhorn pitching tradition led the way as the baseball team entered post-season play. Acting as a nucleus for the team, the pitchers set the winning tempo by low- ering their team ' s earned run average to a respectable 3.20. Our goal this year was to get that down and I think we ' ve done that considerably. That ' s been one of the highlights, sophomore pitcher Chris Gaskill said. Impressive pitching statistics have al- ways been a part of the Horns ' winning formula one that has for many years led young pitchers to want to be a part of Texas ' winning program. As a place to play ball, the University was the obvious choice, senior pitch- er Curry Harden said. Any other place is incomparable as far as the reputation and the quality of pitchers. It ' s a great opportunity for everyone. The reputation of Texas pitching gave some of the professional baseball scouts reason to take a close look at the ' Horns ' hot prospects. You definitely have more advantages coming from here as a pitcher, because of the tra- dition. (The scouts) know how the pro- gram is and that pitching is a very big part of it. They know that the mechan- ics are taught well, said senior pitcher Mike Bradley. Pitching coach Clint Thomas said de- spite the few that received the most attention, the lowered team ERA and the winning tradition could not be at- tributed to one pitcher. It ' s always a team effort. (Most of the staff) has been here for two or three years, and the experience makes for better pitchers who learn to get out of jams and not give up the big inning. Another aspect of the ' Horn tradi- tion was having the bullpen stocked with pitchers who could perform under pressure. After injuries sidelined key starters, young pitchers received their chances to pick up the slack. We ' ve got the depth, Bradley said. I think that ' s what really kept the team going. On their way to post-season play, the ' Horns concentrated on the fundamen- tals and used their talent to its full po- tential. All our pitchers have good arms. We ' ve just got to go out there and do the job, concentrate and throw strikes, Bradley said. When the pitching was hot, the rest of the team usually followed suit. If you ' ve got a good pitcher on the mound, then you ' re going to play a good game behind him and offensive- ly, Gaskill said. Like the entire team, the pitching staff ironed out the rough spots and prepared for the SWC tournament. As a team, our pitchers had a lot of ups and downs, but usually at one point there was somebody that stepped up and was ready to do the job, said Gaskill. When somebody let down, somebody else picked up. Despite the hard times, the pitching tradition shone through and gave strength to a team struggling to over- come unfortunate obstacles. It ' s pretty well known that good pitching is going to beat good hitting. If you can get the best pitchers and you can get some play- ers that play pretty good defense, it ' s going to keep you in the ball game, Thomas said. Buck Sralla STRETCHING OUT: Sophomore pitcher Chris Gaskill limbers up before pitching against Texas A M. photo by George Bridges J Pitching 175

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CHEERLEADERS WORK HARD To PLEASE CROWD As the camera panned over the crowd, it paused briefly and focused on a perky cheerleader bedecked in orange and white and adorned by a small, painted longhorn on her cheek. The job offered occasional television cov- erage, a great social life and even weight loss. Sound too good to be true? Well, it was. Behind all the glitz and glamour, there was a great deal of hard work and energy expended in the ac- tivity of cheerleading. To prepare themselves for the up- coming season , all the cheerleaders had to take time out of their summer va- cations to attend a required cheerlead- ing camp. In 1989, the cheerleaders attended a camp at Southwest Texas State University, sponsored by the Uni- versal Cheerleading Association. Both the football and basketball squads earned superior ratings at the camp competition. In addition, the football squad garnered first place honors in the fight song competition. After summer camp ended, it was not too long before the sports season be- gan. Rehearsals and workouts were physically exhausting, and time- consuming as well. Cheerleaders spent two days a week rehearsing before the games. In addition to attending re- quired rehearsals, the cheerleaders met an average of two to three days to work out and use weights. After rehearsals and workouts, the cheerleaders were then responsible for organizing pre-game pep rallies and at- tending all the games. During the sea- son, cheerleading takes up to 20 to 25 hours a week, said basketball and vol- leyball cheerleader Danny Callahan, prebusiness freshman. Once the cheerleaders reached the games, their main goal was to elicit crowd response and preserve university traditions. We wanted the crowd to get involved more. We also wanted the fans to know the words in the fight song are GO! Horns! GO! as opposed to the alternative, said football cheerleader Dede Matocha, zoology senior. Moreover, the cheerleaders tried new techniques to invite crowd participation and spirit. The football cheerleaders in- troduced a new cheer this year; how- ever, it didn ' t go over too well, Matocha said. We did, however, use a lot more signs, and we did more with pyramids this year. These techniques seemed to be very effective. In addition to all the required ac- tivities, the cheerleaders also made many public appearances and helped in several charity events and community service activities. The Austin Police De- partment, the Sunshine Kids and the Texas Intensive Care Unit for termi- nally ill children were some of the or- ganizations that benefited from the time donated by the cheerleaders. Of course, all the hard work did pay off. Cheerleading is the best way to get involved. We get to meet the Texas Exes and lots of other people. People recognize me as a cheerleader and in- troduce themselves to me. It ' s great! said basketball and volleyball cheerlead- er Shaun Bridgewater, communications sophomore. A great social life was not the only benefit that cheerleading offered. Rig- orous exercise and workouts helped to keep the cheerleaders in excellent phys- ical condition. One of the Bevo mas- cots, who simply went by Michael to protect his secret identity, said that cheerleading helped him to lose weight. It keeps me in great shape. I lose an average of three to six pounds every game. At one particular game I lost seven and a half pounds, Michael said. Texas cheerleaders deserved the rec- ognition they received. Behind each TV appearance, performance and so- cial function there was a great deal of muscle and sweat. We work very hard to be good representatives of the Uni- versity. It is a great honor to exemplify to other students what the University of Texas is all about, said Bridgewater. Rebecca Noel I Cheerleaders 177